Pneumatic signal-valve



.(No Modell.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

0.1.HORT0N- PNEUMATIG SIGNAL VAL VB.

No. 547,214. PatentedOCt. 1,1895.

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`pulling on this cord the conductor may transpiston itself does not act as a valve. It sepa- PATENT Fries..

CHARLES A. HORTON,OOF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.

PNEUMATIC SIGNAL-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,214, dated October 1 1895.

Application i'lled March l5, 1895.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HoRToN, a citizen of the United States, residing atSteubenville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Signals for Railway-Trains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in pneumatic signals for railway-trains and will lirst be described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation showing the several parts Vcomposing an air-whistle system. Fig. V2 is a vertical longitudinal seotion `of the signal-valve parts. p y

The letter A designates the reservoir for storing the compressed air; B, the train-pipe leading therefrom; C, the case of the signalvalve; I), the reducing-valve in the trainpipe between the storage-reservoir A and signal-valve C; E, a pipe leading from the signal-valve to whistle E', the foregoing parts being usually on thelocomotive; F, a hose and coupling between the sections ot' a train-pipe; G, an escape-valve carried on a car, and I-I a cord connected with said escape-valve. By

mit signals to the engineer.

The valve-case O is cylindrical, with a closed integral bottom and au attached cover or head C', which is provided with aconnection` I for attachment to the train-pipe. The cyl inder J, in which the piston K moves, is made of brass, while the case and cover are made ot iron. This cylinder has a rim ct and a peripheral liauge a', which latter takes in an annular rabbet b, formed on the top edge of the case O where it adjoins the cover C. Thus the said flange a of the cylinder is clamped between the case and cover. The piston K tits neatly, but without packing-ring, in the cylinder J and will move freely. The

rates the two compartments, the main lower compartment Ll being below the piston and the small upper compartment N above the piston. In the bottom of the case is a valvechamber O and an orifice O below it, and a screw-plu g Pits in and closes the said oritice. This screw-plug has a discharge-passage c2 sein No. 541.867. or@ miei.)

leading to the whistle and denoted by two parallel broken lines, and ou top has a valveseat c. The piston carries a stem d, which plays up and down in a boss e above the valve-chamber O. This stem tits snug or airtight in the boss at all times, either when up or down. The lower end ot' the stem is in the valve-chamber O and carries a valve c', which when seated at c closes the said passage leading to the Whistle. The valve c is kept normally seated by action of the gravity of the piston. The connection I has an inand-Out passage f, from which lead two passagesot different sizes. One passage f', of three-sixteenths inch size, leads through the wall of the case to the valve-chamber 0, and the other passage f2, of two-sixteenths size, leads into and out of the upper compartment N above the piston. A third passage g, which is smaller than either of the other tw0,being one-sixteenth of an inch, is through the rim a of the cylinder and constitutes an alwaysopen communication between the upper and lower compartments N L. The lower compartment has no other passage or communication. This smallest passage g serves both for charging the lower compartment L and to produce au equalization of pressure between the two compartments. The top side of the piston has a knob h, which, when the piston moves up, bumps against cover C and prevents the piston raising so high as to close the smallest passage g.

In operation the apparatus is charged by air-pressure passing from the reducing-valve D to the in-and-outpassagef, and from thence by the largest passagef to the valve-chamber O, and by the mediumsize passage f2 to the upper compartment N, and by the smallest passage g in the piston-cylinder to the lower compartment- L. Now supposing'there is a pressure of forty pounds'in the train-pipe beyond the reducing-valve D and in the valvecase O on both sides of the piston the piston by its own gravity will move down and the valve c on the lower end of the stem will seat and close the discharge-passage. Upon a reduction of pressure in the train-pipe by opening any one of the escape-valves G airpressure will pass from the upper compartment N by the medium passage f2, and this reduction of pressure in said upper compart- ICO ment will cause the preponderant pressure in the lower compartment L to lift the piston K and its stem and unseat the valve c', and thus allow air-pressure from/the train-pipe to pass by way of the largest passage f to the discharge-passage c?, and thence to the whistle E, producinga blast. The moment the pressure in the upper compartment N is reduced below that existing in the lower compartment Lair from the latter will pass through the small equalizing-passage g, and thus lower the pressure which holds the piston up, and allow it to descend and the valve c to seat. This construction, where the lower compartment has but one inlet or outlet consisting of the small always-open passage g directly between the two compartments and of less size than the supply-passage f2 to the upper lcompartment, prevents small leaks in the trainpipe from unseating the valve c', and also prevents said valve from unseating by reason of variations of pressure produced by the varying action of the reducing-valve D. Under the conditions just mentioned some whistles now in use, having a diaphragm instead of a piston to carry the valve, will sound whenever an unusual jolt of the moving locomotive occurs. These unintentional sounds are very objectionable to the engineer; but with this structure such jolts have no effect because slight displacement of air-pressure above the piston is at once compensated for by the small passage g, producing an equal displacement of pressure below the piston and transferring it above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a Vvalve case; a cover for said case having a single train-pipe connection, I; a separate cylinder, J, secured in said case; a valve-chamber, O, in the bottom of the case; a piston movable in said cylinder and having a stem which plays up and down in aboss in the bottom of the case above said valve chamber-said stem being airtight at all times, and at its lower end in the valve chamber carrying a valve, c', which controls the air-passage leading to the whistle; a passage, f', leading from said train-pipe connection to the valve-chamber; an in-and out passage,f2, leading from said train-pipe connection to the upper compartment above the piston; and a passage always-open and directly communicating between the upper and lower compartments-said passage being relatively smaller than said in-and-out passage to the upper compartment.

2. The combination of a valve case; a cover single communication only with the said lower compartment, said communication being an always-open passage directly between the upper and lower compartments.

3. The combination of a valve case; a cover for said case having a train-pipe connection, I; avalve chamber in the bottom of the case; a movable piston separating an upper and lower compartment and having a stem which plays up and down in a boss in the bottom of said lower compartment and above said valvechambersaid stem fitting the boss air-tight at all times and actuating the valve which controls the ai rpassage leadin g to the whistle and three always-open air-passages of relatively different size-the largest,f, leading from the train-pipe to the said valve-chamber, the medium,f2, leading from the trainpipe to the upper compartment, and the smallest, g, communicating directly between the upper and lower compartments.

4. The combination of a valve-case having a rabbet, b, on its top edge; a cover for said case; a cylinder, J, having a rim-Ilangc, a, which takes into the said rabbet on the case and is there clamped by the said cover; a Valve-chamber in the bottom of the case; a pistonv movable in said cylinder and separating an upper and lower compartment and having a stem which plays up and down in a boss in the bottom of said lower compartment and above said valve-cl1amber-said stem tting the boss air-tight at all times and actuating the valve which controls the airpassage leading to the whistle; a passage, f',

leading from the train-pipe to the said valve CHARLES A. IIORTON. Witnesses:

M. S. GILLETT, JAMES A. LEIGHLEY.

IIC 

